Message from our Rosh Yeshiva

Dear Alumni and families,

As the Yeshiva enters its 7th decade, we are indeed very proud of the many achievements and accomplishments of our Yeshiva family. You have been instrumental in bringing a message of Torah values and menschlicheit to communities all over the globe, and especially South Africa and Israel.

Our students continue to excel in their matric examinations and a significant majority have continued their higher education initially at Yeshivot, followed by university.

We started the new school year with over 1040 children. Thus, the Yeshiva message is reaching more people and more families than ever before.

In Sefer Bereishit we are told of people who built a tower which was to reach up to heaven. It is known as the “Tower of Babel”. It is the story of a people who spoke one language, were of a common thought, and wished to preserve their identity as a united people, speaking the same language, living in the same land, governed by the same laws. It seemed a most commendable idea. The fulfillment of the dream of our prophets. It is the fervent prayer of the Rosh Hashanah liturgy “Viyeosu kulom aguda echos ………….. that all people unite”.

Many people believe that uniformity would bring peace and unity to the world. People do not understand each other, as their backgrounds and temperaments are different.

People had one language and one tongue, yet Hashem was dissatisfied and destroyed the tower.

Why be dissatisfied with what seemed to be so highly motivated and so ideally perfect a plan on the part of men?

The Torah tells us in brief outline how the sons of men went about building their tower. “Let us make bricks” they said. “And bake them well”. And with these bricks they were going to build their tower. And then the Torah says, “They used their bricks for stones”. And therein lies the tragedy. The bricks became stones.

Now a brick is commonly regarded as an object of building. A stone is more often spoken of in a derogatory sense. It is something which is thrown at another. A stone covers the mouth of a well of water and thus does not permit people to drink from it. A stone causes people to stumble and fall. This was the tragedy. They had the means with which to build a society, and create everlasting peace for themselves and the world. However, they took these very fine instruments, these fine building-bricks and instead of building, threw them at each other. Their bricks became stones.

The challenge of every educational institution is to develop a positive decent human being who will make his contribution through his family and society and create the better world of tomorrow.

As former students of the Yeshiva and members of our distinguished alumni, I hope you will agree that we have attempted to inculcate Torah values and sincerity into our students for the past 60 years. Indeed, we encourage our students to “bake the bricks”. Your personal lives bear testimony to our success.

May you and yours continue to build for Klal Yisrael and posterity.

I wish you and yours a “gut gebenched yohr” with good health, prosperity and nachas.